Reuters Australia's Newcastle coal exports rebound 13 pct

PERTH, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Coal exports at Australia's Newcastle port, the world's largest coal export terminal, rebounded by nearly 13 percent in the latest week, while ship queues stayed near a one-year low due to smooth port operations.

Exports from the eastern coast port, which ships mostly thermal coal used in power generation, rose to 2.17 million tonnes in the week to Nov 2, port data showed on Tuesday.

The number of coal ships arriving -- a key indicator of demand -- slipped by three to 22, while the average queue time fell for a third week to five days.

For more details on Newcastle port statistics, click on .

After swelling to a two-year high of over 50 ships in late August, vessel queues have eased significantly over the past month, after the port operator reinstated an export quota system to distribute port capacity among producers.

About 80 percent of the coal shipped through Newcastle is thermal coal used mainly by power stations. Companies exporting through the port include Xstrata Plc (XTA.L), Rio Tinto Group (RIO.AX)(RIO.L) and Centennial Coal Ltd (CEY.AX).

Prices of power-station coal prices at Newcastle port, a benchmark for Asia, gained 2 percent to $74.63 a tonne in the latest week, according to the globalCOAL NEWC Index.